“I figure if a girl wants to be a legend she should just go ahead and be one.” Attributed to the American frontierswoman known as Calamity Jane, the quote hangs prominently in Janell James’ studio. It says plenty about the talented and determined Utah artist featured in UVU’s Woodbury Art Museum this month alongside Art of OUR CENTURY, an annual juried exhibition of new works from across the country.

A Brief Review of the Out West Art Show and Sale...

SAVE THE DATE!!!

Many thanks to my generous collectors, in advance, for allowing me to borrow nearly 95% of the work making up this ten year retrospective.

A Brief Review...The Out West Art Show and Sale was a success!SAVE THE DATE! I will be back again next year in Room 262, March 20 - 23, 2019, Great Falls, MT. Come see some one of the largest gatherings of western and contemporary artists.

Along with all of the wonderful sales and patronage, I am excited to announce in the very near future, new gallery representation!

I was delighted to see "Sublime Walden" find a home at the beach!

"Sublime Walden", 32" x 32" Acrylic on Multi-Layered Acrylic

"Tangerine" was collected by some new admiring fans during the C.M. Russell Museum Auction.Live auctions of any artists work will always be a nail biting experience for the artist!

"Tangerine", 20" x 18" Oil on Linen

"Watching Clouds Go By", one of my few remaining oil paintings, also found a home thanks to Terakedis Fine Art in Billings, MT!

"Watching Clouds Go By", 55" x 60" Oil on Houndstooth Linen

It is always fun to see a new collector discover my work and in this case she is from Great Falls, MT so, this little painting didn't have far to travel. What a wonderful cultural opportunity the Out West Art Show and Sale has offered its residents all of these years!

Many thanks to Barbara Stroud for finding my art online and being inspired by my work! It is always a wonderful feeling when people admire my work enough to hang it in their home. It is equally amazing when someone chooses to take the time to write about my work for the simple pleasure of sharing their joy with others.

That Barbara is inspired by my work reminds me that so are many others and, that is a gift and an honor. Thank you for enjoying the work that my heart and soul creates! Here's to creating many more paintings that inspire and bring light and joy into the lives of others!

New contemporary work available!

Dimensional. Sculptural. Kinetic. Living Art.

It would be a great honor if you could join me in the celebration opening nightFriday February, 23 from 6-9PM.

Make a night of it in the fresh mountain air!Book your dinner reservations today.

ARTIST STATEMENT

My paintings are an investigation of the intersection of traditional landscape imagery and modern ideas about painting and color. In my practice, I attempt to reconcile my personal history as an art-maker, as well as the tradition of landscape painting, with a contemporary art practice that borrows more specifically from a language of Modernism—specifically in regards to mid-century conversations about painting. Incidentally, both genres at work in my practice (abstraction and landscape) have a tradition of exploring ideas about the Sublime—Romantic and Modern—respectively.

While my subject matter draws heavily from landscape, my process and true exploration is about painting in a Modern sense. My brush strokes become objects that hold their own presence. The colors and layering I use both create the illusion of space and undermine it in the proverbial push-pull of abstract painting. The interplay between light and shadows cast upon the many layers ads to the sculptural interpretation while also creating ‘living’ paintings that appear kinetic, interacting with the natural environment. The purpose of the layering of a transparent painting surface is to raise the stakes; the points of depth are deeper and the points of flatness are flatter. The increased depth and complication of flipping the surface back and forth and layering it multiple times is a demonstration of the mastery of the material as well as a device to push the boundaries of the flatness/depth dichotomy in every painting. My paintings are at once paintings and sculptures and they are at once landscapes and quite the opposite of that—something acrylic and manufactured that is more reflective of contemporary culture.